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I'iight, March 3, 1927 



First Aeronautical Weekly in the World. Founded January, 1909. 

Founder and Editor : STANLEY SPOONER 


A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport 
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ROYAL AERO CLUB OF THE UNITED KINGDOM 


No. <«4. (No. 9, Vol. XIX.) 


M.vrch 3, 1927 


[Weekly, Price 6d. 
L Posi free, 7d. 


The Aircraft Engineer and Airships 
hiilorial Offices; HH, (iKKAT QliKl'N STREET. KINGSW.AV, W.C.2 

Telephone: Gerrard 1828. TelegTams ; Truditur. Westcent, London. 
Animal Subscription Rales, Post T'ree: 

Eniled Kinedoui . . 30s. 4d. .Abroad . . . . 33s. Orf.* 

• FurciSin stibscriplions iitusl be remillcil in lirilisli currency. 

CONTENTS 


Hditorial Comnieiit 

The Movemt ut (irow- 

The Psychological Moment 

The Seaplane AjTiiin 

H"Ulti>iuV Paul *■ FUiglf ’■ at .NCrwh h .\ir Display 

•Vrial Rally at Norwich 

U«ht 'Plane Club 

\irisms Prom The Pour Wmils 

^wiss African Pliciu 

Aviation in .\ustralia ... 

Ihr Public. .Aviation and the Press: Koval .\ero Cluh House Dinner 
K'lyal Air Porcc 

Ill Parliament 


PAOh 

lllf 

lilt 

HI 

irj 

us 

I IH 
117 
1 IN 
1 la 
121 
121 


" FLIGHT ” PHOTOGR.\PHS. 

To those desirous of obtaining copies of 
"Flight” Photographs, these can be supplied, 
enlarged or otherwise, upon application to Photo. 
Department, 36, Great Queen Street, W.C.2 


DIARY OF FORTHCOMING EVENTS 
Club Secretaries and others desirous of announcing the dates 
of important fixtures are iniited to send particulars for 
inclusion tn this list ; — 

1927 

Mar. 2-3 R.A.F. Boxing, Halton Camp. 

Mar. 3 “ The Spinning of Aeroplanes.” Mr. L. W. 

Bryant, before R.Ae.S. 

.. Second House Dinner of Inst.Ae.E., at Engineers’ 
Clnb. 

.. " Portable Hangars.” Major H. N. Wyllie, 
before Inst. Ae.E. 

R.A.F. India Command 4th Reunion Dinner, 
New Princes Restaurant. 

. Inst. Ae.E. Visit to the Factory of A.D.C. 
Aircraft, Ltd., Waddon. 

■ “ Line Squalls.” Mr. M. A. Giblett, M.Sc., 
before R.Ae.S. 

Aero. 'Golfing Soc. (Sir S. Instone Cup), Sun 
ningdale. 

"Aircraft Law.’’ Mr. Lawrence A. Wingfield 
before Inst.Ae.E. 

.. Schneider Trophy Race at Venice. 




The 

Movement 

grow's 


EDUTOREAIL COMMENT. 

.AKIN(i lilt' nation air-minded ” is a 
phrase that was, if we remember 
rightly, coined by tlie Seendary of 
State for Air, Sir Samuel Hoare, 
It would be difficult to imagine a 
better way of heljiing that happy 
phrase to materialise than by giving 
as main’ members of the general 
public a.s po.ssible opjKirtimities of becoming intimately 
and iMTSonally familiar with flArng, its pleasures, its 
possibilities, and even its limitations. • 
I’p to the pre.sent time nothing has 
done more towards realising that ideal 
than the organisation of light aerojilane 
clubs in various parts of the country. It is true, of 
course, that until ways and means are found for 
jiroviding these clubs with very many more machines 
than they at present have available, the number of 
club members who can hojx- to hecomi' pilots must 
necessarily be a smaller jiroportion than one could 
wish, but as time goes on and machines become 
cheaper (and the exjx-rience gathered by the Ifritish 
light aeroplane clubs has been largely instrumental 
in bringing about the reduction in jirice that has 
already become possible, and which will, doubtless, 
he continued at a more rapid rate in thi' future) 
this drawback will gradually lessen. The whole 
problem is largely a " snowball ” affair. Until 
machines are built in larger quantities it is difficult 
to reduce the price. Iritil the price is reduced it is 
difficult to sell a sufficient number of machines. 
Once, however, w'e begin to enter upon the production 
of cheajx'r machines — cheajx’r because of simplified 
design and imjiroved methods of manufacture, and 
not on account of the use of inferior materials or 
scamjx'd workmanshiji — the whole movement is 
bound to gather spi'ed at an ever-increasing rate. 
Signs are not lacking that this stage in the develop- 
ment has now been reached. The makers of one very 
jxipular low-jx)wered aeroplane have been able to 
reduce their prices this year. Other firms are 
announcing similar or even lower hgures, and alto- 
gether, although these little -machines are not yet 


c 




March 3, 19'.! 



as cheap as could b(' wished, the reductions are dis- 
tinctly encouraging. 

•Another direct advantage of the light aeroplane 
club movement is that it .serves to introduce flying 
to persons with the necessarv money to enable them to 
acquire machines for their own private use. ^^’e have 
no actual figures available relating to the nundxT 
of pri\ate f)wners who have purchased machines 
during the last year or two, who have been influenced 
in their decision to do so by their connection with 
one or other of the light 'plane clubs, but they form, 
we imagine, a very large jHTcentage. Thus these 
clubs, both directly as clubs, and by their influence 
on potential jirivate purchasers of light 'planes, are 
doing e.xtremely vahiable ]>ro]>aganda work, not 
to mention the number of pilots who have already 
received their tuition in flying at the clubs. In .short , 
it would b(‘ difficult to overestimate the value of the 
light aeroplane clubs in " making the nation air- 
minded.” 

It is therefore with whole-hearted satisfaction 
that we record in this week’s issue of Flight the 
formation, at Norwich, of yet another light aeroplane 
club, following a very successful rally last week at the 
Mousehold aerodrome of Boulton and Paul's. From 
the fact that the movement was from the first in 
the hands of the Lord Mayor of Norwich it was to 
1 h- e.\pected that the citizens of that ancient town 
would take an immediate interest in the proposal to 
form a club, and the response does not apjx'ar to have 
failed to justif}- that expectation. Offers to finance 
the purchase of machines were made at once, and 
members enrolled to the tune of something like 100. 
Not at all a bad beginning, Norwich. We feel sure all 
having the movement at heart will join us in wishing 
the new Norfolk and Norwich Light Aeroplane Club 
.every success. Moreover, we hope the excellent 
example thus set by the capital of East Anglia will 
shortly be followed by many other towns throughout 
the Kingdom. 

•O’ ♦ 

One cannot help thinking that the 

Psvcho'logical niost propitious for the 

Moment inauguration of a real camjiaign in 

favour of jirivate living, as distinct from 
flying over organised air routes, which is a different 
problem altogether. The general public is willing 
to take an interest in flying if flying is presented to 
it in the right way. One right way is by making 
flying less costly, and a good beginning has been made 
by the light aeroplane club scheme. But this is not, 
in itself, sufficient if really rapid progress is to be 
made, and we personally believe that there is no time 
to be lost. 

Another way of making flying cheaper was first .sug- 
gested in these columns several months ago, when 
we proposed that the Air Ministry should make itself 
a sort of clearing-house or agency for light 'planes by 
ordering machines in such numbers as would enable 
them to be produced much more cheaply than they 
are at present, and selling the machines to clubs and 
private purchasers at cost price. By this means there 
is little doubt that the present price of light aeroplanes 
could be reduced by one-quarter or one-third, nor is 
there any doubt that if the price were to come down to 
.something like £500, the Air Ministry would be able 
to sell the machines comy)aratively quickly. As we 
pointed out in our original comments on the subject, 
even if the Ministry should be left with a few dozen 


machines, the.se could be used In* {)lficers in the R.A T. 
for a \’ariety of puryioses, and the money which In- 
machines repre.sented woidd be more than comp n- 
sated for. 

In all probability the Air Mini.stry would be px- 
fectly willing to do something of the sort, but pn h- 
ably. as usual, the Treasury is the stumbling-blc k. 
In con\incing the Treasury the daily press could 
helyi a good deal, and we would .suggest to Mr. Coli‘- 
brook, whose lecture at the la.st house dinner of tlit 
Royal .Aero Club contained several valuable pru- 
nosals for helping forward the private flying inove- 
nient, that here is a .sj)here where the ]>ress might 
well get a lead and therebv do a great deal of 
good. 

.Among the suggestions made by Air. Colebrook 
was that of doubling, by the State, the eepupment of 
.such light 'plane clubs as had reached a certain 
standard of efficiency, a suggestion with which wr 
entirely agree. But as in the ease of our own pro- 
posal, it is probably mainlv a matter of convincing 
the Treasury. Mr. Colebrook also asked the .Air 
Ministry to throw open all Government-owned and 
controlled aerodromes to private aircraft free of 
charge, and suggested that storage facilities lx 
granted at car rates. There might be certain difficul- 
ties in thus admitting civihans to some of our service 
aerodromes, but in very many ca.ses there could be iin 
reasonable objection to doing so. while in the few 
stations really of a secret nature, the use of such 
aerodromes could be confined to officers serving in the 
R..A.F., who have their own machines. 

There are many other ways in which the .Air 
Ministry could help, the most obvious being, of 
course, the abolition of the somewhat silly restriction.^ 
which at present apply to private aeroplanes. .And 
that particular form of aid would have the advantage 
of costing nothing, so that even the Treasury might 
be counted upon to raise no objections 1 

Two more have recently been ailded t(. 

* the already long list of successes of the 

again”*^ S(‘a]flano. The two flights were of a 
totally dissimilar character, but both 
ol great merit, and thus .serve to illustrate the wide 
range of possibilities that the seaplane ty]>e of 
machine offers. The flight of the Manpiis of Finedo 
across the South Atlantic once more demonstrated 
that the .seaplane is capable of long ” jumiis ” across 
the open sea, while the flight from Zurich to Cape 
Town by the Swiss pilot .Mittelholzer, undertaken not 
as a sporting event, nor to cover the distance in the 
shortest possible time, but for exploration and 
scientific purposes, has pro\dded an instance of the 
seaplane being used over enormous inland areas by 
making use of lakes and rivers. 

The consistent attitude of Flight towards the sen- 
plane is already well known, and we are very f '-t 
from sharing the views e.xpressed recently by Maj >r 
Mayo that the entirely-reliable aeroplane will rend r 
the seaplane superfluous. Rather do wc agree wi'h 
Mr. Nicholson, when he said that the commercul 
machine of the future will be a seaplane. Of one thii g 
we are very certain ; we would much rather go acre, s 
considerable areas of land in a fl\Tng-boat than ^ e 
would go over the same area of sea in a landfdar 
Pinedo and Mittelholzer are spreading the gosfiel >f 
the seaplamc All honour to them. 

110 



[“ Flight " Photographs 

The NORWICH AIR DISPLAY : The Boulton and Paul “ Bugle ” with two Bristol “ Jupiter ” engines, in 
® e of its size and power, can be stunted like a single-seater fighter. The centre picture shows the machine 

taking off. 


Ill 


D 








Marc^ 3, 1927 



THE AERIAL RALLY AT NORWICH 

The air display organised at Norwich by the Lord Mayor afternoon, but this did not atiect a continuous aerial activity 
(Mr. C. K. Bignold) and the Sheriff (Mr. A. Kice) of the nor deter many of the jiublic essaying their first flight froii 
city to interest the citizens in the formation of a local Hying the Mousehold aerodrome, which is one and a half miles fron 



(“ Flight ’’ Fhotographs 

SOME OF THE M.\CHINES AT NORWICH ; The lower photograph shows a Vickers ‘‘ Virginia ” coming in 
to land over a line of “ .Moths ” which are having their tanks filled. On the left the Blackburn “ Bluebird ” with 
-\rmstrong-SiddeIey “ Genet ” engine does a zoom,” and on the right the Boulton and Paul Bugle ” going over 

the aerodrome at speed. 


club was most successfully carried through on February 2,5 
despite not altogether favourable weather conditions. There 
was heat'v'rain with verv low visibility for most of the 


the city and ideally situated on high ground. It is occupied 
by Boulton and Paul's, who have kindly placed every facility 
including hangar accommodation, at the disposal of the 


[" Flight ” Photograpt’ 

A REAL 504 ‘‘ K ” ; The Avro-Lynx “ Tourer ” was seen in public for the first time at the Norwich dem<' *" 
stration. It is characterised by wings of bi-convex section, ” K ” interplane struts, and Frise type ailero s 
on the bottom plane only. This machine handles extraordinarily well, and the wing section used gives 

stationary centre of pressure. 

' 112 


a 




r.iARCH 1927 


O O O O O O 


















^-SS«S- 










[“ Flight '' Photograph 

A “ Moth ” with 
Slots: This 

service “ Moth ” 
was flown over 
to Norwich from 
Martlesham, 
where it has been 
undergoing tests. 
The slot control 
is reported to 
have been most 
successful on tbis 
machine. 


lu-w club, whilst thfir test pilot, Sqdn.-I.dr. C. Kae. has 
ottered his services for the initial stages. 

Many distinguished visitors flew down from considerable 
distances to give their active support for the day. Col. 1. ,\. K. 
Ed\vard.s. chief technical ad\-iser of the Civil .Aviation 
Directorate, flew from London in a “ Moth " piloted by 
Capt. Broad ; Lady Bailey, who got her pilot’s certificate 
last winter, was accompanied hv Capt. Spooner in her 


" Moth ” from Stag Lane ; whilst yet another “ Moth ” teas 
flown down by (’apt. Sparks, of the London .Aeroplane (Miib. 

But if the " Moth ” predominated, it did not totally 
eclipse its class, for Mr. Bert Hinkler flew with Mr. J. l^ird 
from Hendon on an .AiTo-Lynx ’’ Tourer," and S<jdn -Ldr. 
T. H. England, officer commanding the R..A.F. Experimental 
station, .Martlesham Heath, came over on the Blackburn 
" Blue Bird.” .As if to take revenge for this, however. 




[** Flight Photograph& 

J;-^KERS “VIRGINI.AS” (N.APIER •• lions") helping to M.AKE NORWICH ".AIR MINDED"; 
t -iiation flying over Mousehold Aerodrome. Inset shows a " Virginia " stunting, w’hile under it and in the 

background may be seen a " Gloster Gamecock.” 










March 3, 1927 



another ‘ Moth ' brought its owner, Mr, L. L. Irving, the 
inventor of the parachute now standardised in the 
accompanied by Maj. Guy fftske. Finallv, the faniilv 
produced its surprise stroke bv sending a " Moth ” witii 
slotted wings and. in the hands 
of Flying-Ofticer Summers, 
exhibiting its controllabilitv 
at low speeds, which attracted 
much interest. 

There was a Gloucester 
(iamecock ” spectacularly 
flown in turn by Flight-1, ieut. 

S. N. Pope and Flying-Olheer 
J. Summers to exhibit the 
efficiency of the Sendee Scout. 

,\ Roulton and Paul " Hugle " 
all-metal day bomber (which 
has been familiar at the K.A.F. 
displays at Hendon) appeared 
in the hands i.f Flight-Lieut. 

M . N. I’lenderleith, who was 
Sqdn.-l,dr. Maclaren's pilot on 
his world flight. 

.-\ formation of five X'ickers 
Virginia night bombers flew 
over from .\o. 7 Squadron, 

Hircham Newton, 41) miles 
away, led by Sqdn.-I.dr. Ciren- 
fell, and the latter landed to 
watch tiu- pageant, .-tnother 
“ Moth " came from the 
Central flying School, Witter- 
ing, flown by l•'Iying-nfhcer 
Atcheley, and pilots started 
from the Newcastle and Vork- 
shffc Flying clubs, but heavy 
rain and low visibilitv com- 
pelled them to give up. Flight- 
Lieut. Comper started to fly 
the Cranwell biplane from 
Felixstowe to Norwich, but. 
owing to engine trouble and 
low clouds, he made a forced landin.g in a field near 
Swainsthorpe, damaging his under-carriage but escaping 
injurv himself. The Hampshire Club were represented bv 
Mr. Crawford and Mr. Brown, who flew from Humble and 
called at Stag Lane on their wav. 

Many citizens made flights led by the Lord Mavor. who 
was taken up by Sqdn.-Ldr. C. .A. Kae in a B nilton and 


Paul P.9, a type tvhich made the first flight from Tasman 1 
to Australia in 1919. The Lord Mavor wore his gold chai 1 
of office during his 15-minute flight, and reached an altitui.e 
of 3,000 ft. He thoroughly enjoyed it. and encouraged tl • 

Lady Mayoress to follow h s 
e.xample, much to her pleasui ■ 
too. 

The Sheriff made hi.s flight 
in the Blackburn " Bluebird 
flown by Sqdn.-Ldr. England, 
and went to 1.200 ft., equallv 
enjoying the experience. His 
sister. Miss Rice, then went 
up, and during the succession 
of flights the cinematographs 
and cameras were xerv busw 
.-\s a taunting fillip to the 
young idea, a veteran of 7S 
years. Mr, Edward Cadge, 
went up during pouring ram 
and receix’ed a well-merited 
ovation. The Public .Meeting 
which followed the practical 
demonstrations w as well 
attended by county and 
business men. and the Lord 
Mayor unfolded the ambitious 
aims of Ihei liib The-v hoped, 
he .said, not only to develop 
sporting aviation, but to foster 
their own aircraft industry, 
and eveniually link up Norwich 
with the centre of England Viy 
air transport. This project 
coupled with the fact that 
the club IS to be jnirelv sell- 
supporting and not subsidised, 
marks the city and its ardent 
supporters as the most pro- 
gressive of pioneer spirits in 
civil aviation. They arc. 
perhaps, the most proiiiinenl 
e.xample of what .Mr. Handley Page is alwavs urging 
that evervone should do their bit, and not sit driwn heljde.sslv 
and bewail the limited activities of the .-\ir Ministry. 

Col. Edwards gave some interesting figures about the si.x 
State-subsidised aeroplane clubs. There were luiw over 
l .llhH members. 90 of whom had already qualified as pilots, 
while over 350,000 miles had been flown, and the total living 



[“Flight" Photograph 

C.\MERA SHY: Lady Bailey, who flew her “ Moth” 
to Norwich through very bad weather, refuses to be 
‘‘ took.” 


O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

O 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 


0000 000 


[" Fucin •• Photograph 
.At the Norwich 
.Air Demon.stra- 
tion : The Mace- 
bearer hanging 
the chains of 
office on the 
Lord Mayor of 
Norwich, prior to 
a flight in the 
Boulton and Paul 
P.9. The Sheriff 
of Norwich and 
Mr. J. D. North 
appear amused 
at the proceed- 
ings. 


0000 000 



114 




iiHininmnrnmmnnimtro . 


I 



[" Flight " Photographs 

"THE FIRST AIR I.ORD Mr. John Lord flew over with Bert Hinkler in the new Avro "Tourer” with 
Armstrong-Siddeley "Lynx ” engine. Inset the machine coming in to land. 


* tinu- amoimtcd to WOO liuurs. In addition, six unsulxsidised M the conclusion of the meeting a resolution approving 
clubs were openitiug. and eight were under contemplation. of the formation of the Norfolk and Norwich Aero Club was 

Lieut.-Comdr rernn, representing the Royal Aero Club. adopted unanimously, whilst two .Norwich business men, 

said the club would urge the Air Ministry to give financial Mr. James Hardy and Mr. H.N. Holmes, said that they would 

assistance for the formation of the Norwich Club. jointly provide the first aeroplane. Several offers of financial 

Sir Samuel Hoare. Sc-cretary of State for Air. was unable help were made, and nearly 10(1 names were handed in for 

to be present, owing to pressure of rarliamentary work, but membership. It would seem, therefore, that this new club 

sent a message wishing the movement evert’ success. will .soon get going. 


<s> <j> 


LIGHT ’PLANE 

London Aeroplane Club 

Tinic . — The rtvim* tiiiie tor the week ending Lebriiary 27 w;i-* 
in hr^j. ntiiis. 

Fiht Instructors . — Ca|U. T. M. Sparks. C apl. A. S. White, Capt. t. J>. 
fUmant, FIvIng Otinrr R W Rrevr. 

Dual 1). S. lU-wilt. K. Cooper, Liulv Uulley, J. Siiiipsim, 

H. Sfimiielssoii, A. J. Mulder. M^^- Christie, L. W. (libbviis, H. Lc'ighton- 
irawlord. A. 1. Kirhardson. |. Craiiiinond. 

.Solo.-l:. 1), Moss, Miss O ltrien. H. Spooner. C. R. C.unpkiii, H. S<»lomnn, 
W. Kim he Kellv, M. J.. Itruiiisun. 

J„v <._(•. K. s. Beale. H. II. Whitcsidc. Miss 1*. O. OaiiilK*. 

I*fsi7 tti Sorv'irh. — Capl. I*. (». M. Sparks, on the club *' Moth,” look advan- 
Uge ot the flight to Norw'ieh to give instnirlion in navigation to K. J’. 
Looper. who accompanied him. 

Lady Bailey also flew t<* Norwich on her own ” Motii ” with Capl. H. 
SjKKiuer as passenger. 

Ill spite of the hea\ v rain ini Fnday aflcnioon. the Norwith enthusiasts 
turned out in good numbers, and upwards of loo were given flights. The 
*' Moths '■ o| the Lotuhin and Hampshire Clubs were kept busy the whole 
afieninoii 

.-iH/ttiitl Ihuti'i'.- The .Annual Ilame will be held on Tm'sday, .March 22, 
li<.’7, at the Spring (iarden (iallen.'. Spring (hardens. Trafalgar Square. 
Members will be receiving a notice giving full particulars. 

The Hampshire .Aeroplane Club 

Kiiport tor week ending l•ebnlary 25. — Total flying lime, in hrs. 5o miiu. 
1 ' airiiction ftying, 4 hrs. lo mms. ; solo flying, 5 jin*. 55 nuns. ; joy-riding, 
min:.. : test flights, 20 mm>. 

’he iollowing members bad dual Ueut. A. U. CadcU. 5(‘ mins. ; A. K. 
M Uor. 45 mins. ; !*. it. .MoUuiv, M5 mins. ; V\'. H. B. MrKechiiie, 20 mins. ; 
y '"g-Comdr. Wvllio, 25 mins • Capt. H. T. .Mcdyiieu.x. M.C., 5o mins. : the 
H. K. f»rosvenor, H) mins. : and K Kerry, J5njiiis. 

■ he .Noloists were Seuor de la Cier%a. I hr. 2o mins. : Lieut. A. K. C adelL 
- 'liiis. ; Mr. W. ti. B, MrKeehiiie. 15 iiiiiis. ; Mr. K. U. Cwpcr. 5 mins. ; 

■* • ^’lighl-Lieut. Crawford. hrs. 55 mins. 

o- Yoiiell and Mr. Beaglev had iov rides wnth Capl. Thomson. 

Friday, the 25th. Flight Lieut. Crawford, with K. H. Bound in the 
f* • ‘^:kpit, flew to N\»rwirh lo lake part in the ” airmiiuledness ' campaign 
Oil . ir ycrasion of the formation of the Norw’ieh and Norfolk Flying Club. 

• 'big Hamblc at t) hours in a driitzling rain, we he<lge-liop])ed to Stag 
where we lamlerl. and were immediately surrounded by press pluito- 
r^.v, ho waded out through the top 12 ins. of the aerodrome and snapped 
b f)v. Seeing the wondering expression on CrawRird’s face, the leader 




CLUB DOINGS 

of this, (sand iiiqiiin-d dt-ffrcnti.-illy. ” You art tht Master of Seinplll. sir ? " 
Tht sathcrint; waded back, and wt do not fxpti i that thosi- photographs will 
bt published. 

.After rttutlliiiR, wt UM»k off am] proceeded io Norwich, which was reached 
,Tl Id hours, just as a dighi of \'irgjmas were deinonstr.itinff over the cJly. 
We ioiiitd the party, and aiter iiisiierling all romtrs of .Norwich Iroiii the 
air. we landed .it ^louseln>ld aerodrome, and were ininiediately greeted by 
kindly nffieials who seemed determined to give us anvthing we wanted, 
including a white .irtidot with the letters C. P. stencilled on. 

This armlet jicmntteil us to stroll about oit the course, hut no one was 
able to tell us what C. P. meant. alUiough .Mr. Whitloek, the " technical man 
at Messrs. Itonlloii and Paul's, suggested that it meant Centre oi pressure, 
because we wandered all over the place. 

The reraaindcr ol the meeting and the Lord Mayor’s dinner will probably 
lie desrriiiod elsewhere in this paper, so it is not nriessary to give p.articulars 
here. However, we greatlv ailrnired the spirting action ol the two gciitlenicn 
who startl'd the chdi off liv giving an aeroplane, and we wish the new club 
all success. 

Lancashire Aero Club 

Uf.port for week ending February ^6.— Total flying lime lor the week 
IP hrs. 10 mins, made up as follows ; — 

Dual with .Mr. Hrow'n Messrs. Culdecotl, 2 hrs. in nuns; Nelson. 
1 hr. 2.S mins. ; Miss Itrowii, 1 hr. l.S mins. ; Messrs. Dickinson, 411 mins, 
(iatterall. rt.i mins. ; Newton. 35 rains. : Musgrave, 30 niims. ; McNair. 

2.S mills.; c.oodyear, 20 mins.; Meades. 20 mins.; Forshaw, IS mins. 
Jfolison, 15 mins. 

Dual with .Mr. Cantrill : — Mr. Goodyear. 30 mins. 

Sohi ;— Mes.srs. Costa, 5.5 mins. ; Michelson. 55 nuns. ; Twemlow, 35 mins. 
Slater. 35 mins. ; L.aeavo. 30 mims. 

loyrides ;— With Mr. Cantrill ; Mr. Caldecott, 2 hrs. 10 mins. ; Mrs. Bell, 
lo'mins. ; .Messrs. Kelcher .and Hell, In mins, eaeh ; Mrs. Rose, 5 mins. 
With Mr. Laeavo : Mr. Hartley. .50 mins. Tost flights 1 hr, 40 miiis. 

On Friday n'lnniing Mr. Cantnll. accompanied by Mr. Calderolt, made a 
determined 'attempt to take MQ over to the Norwich meeting, low-lying 
clouds, however, made the crossing of the Peiminei inipractii able, and alter 
two hours' living the attempt had to be abandoned. We were very sorry to 
dis.ippoinl .Vorwich, and hope that they had a successful meeting iii spite of 
the weather. 

According to the current number of Aimvavs a new aerodrome is being 
constructed at Hrighton, and " the length oi the aeriKirome in the direction ol 
the prevailing wind will 1 c 75 yards, and the surrounding country is free front 
obstriirtions. When the aerodrome is ready it should prove popular with 

115 


J 



nicinbers of li|fht acruplaiu' cliilis. . \VV can only say that, tU'spiti* 
the freedom froni obstructions, wc ho|X‘ this club >vill be equipped willi 
Alpha-tiosports lTcf*»re commenriiig to use the said aerf)dr«nne regularly. 
We shall then be able to meet the Hampshire Club, flying on a fomialiun bl 
Auto-g>Tos led by Srnor dc la Cierva, and have a jolly plrriir then*. 

The Yorkshire Aeroplane Club 

RtKiRT for the week ending February 27. Total flying time tor the 
week, 3 hrs. 5 mins., made up of 5.S mins. solo. 2 hrs. dual and JO mins, tests. 

•Messrs. I^x. Rhodes. Babcock, Ling and Brown flew dual. 

Messrs. Maun, Norw'ay am! Dawson flew solo. 

With the exception ul .30 mins, flying on Wednesday there was no flying 
dunug the week until Sundav, partly owing to the weather and partly to the 
temporary imlisposition of “ L.S.” 

On Friday Mr. Wav'iuan, with Mr. Barnes as passenger, set out for Norw'ich 
in ** NN,’* in a gallant attempt to fulhl n promise to attend the maugural 
nierting of the pn>jHJSt»d Norwich Flying Club. They intended to start in 
the early monittig. but were ccmsidcrably delayed by fog ami bad weather 
generally’. However, in spite of little improvement they delermineil t»* win 


<$> <$> 


through if jxissible, ami left the aenxlroine si an ely able to see from one cr • 
to the other, at 2 o’clock. 

.\lter a thoroughly uncomfortable flight ihirliig which they coiilinuall 
ran into banks of fog and rain, and were obliged to laud twice in order i 
ItH ate their fxisithm. they eventually found iheiii'selves running short of petn 
When only about twenty miles from Norwich. They landed near a gara^. 
at Klmhaiii, re-fuelleil am! set ofT once more, hut owing to the heavy goii, 
on a sotldon held had difhculty in *• unsticking.'* and just failed to clear th- 
boundary hedge, in spite of a run oi nearly 3uu yards. The fuselage raiigh: 
the hedge, and the machine tipjH’d over on its m>sc on the other side, and w.i. 
damaged ti* such an extent to put an end to the flight. 

Messrs. Banies and Wayman, however, Uilfllied their promise to attend tli 
mcetiJig. and armed soon alter 9 o'clock, Jia\ ing I/ecu lonvevrd the' rniiaiiub r 
of the journey by road in a ear sent out by the Lord Mayor of Norwich. 

A meinlier of the Club. Mr. Ely, h<»wever, attended the ’meeting ihronghom 
the day. having arrived the night before by train, and a Sorkshire iiiachni> 
the Blackhiim " Bluebird.” in the hands of Sqdr. Ldr. T. H. England, ui 
Martlesliam K.vi>erifnentai Station, vva'. bu*.jly engaged in denioiwtratnm 
and pas*^eng«T flying throughout tin* day . 


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Pinedo’s Progress 

•\s n'portpfl I.Tst \v('('k, tlu* Marclicsp dc Pim-dn siirc('<‘fli'(i, 
on February 22. in crossing the Atlantii. from t'a)>e N'erde 
Islands to Brazil in his Savoia S..^5 seaplane, hut was uuahle 
to laiul al Port Natal owing to liinlt seas, aiul had to n-turn 
to the Island of Fernando Noronha Here he sustained 
slight damage to the seaplane, but was able to cross over to 
I’ort Natal on F'ehruary 24, whence he proceeded to Peniam- 
huco. The next day he flew on to Raliia, and reached Uio 
de Janeiro on F'ehruary 27. ContinninR next morning he 
flew to Santos, calling at Santo Amaro en route, ami on 
March 1 he arrived at Porto Alegre, where he decided to stop 
the night iKifore jiroceeding to Buenos .\ire- 
U.S. Army Pan-American Flight Disaster 

111 luck has been dogging the I'.S. Army l'an-.\merican 
flight, which, consisting of five l.ocnmg amphibians under 
the command of Maj. Dargue, left Kellv F'iekl. San .\ntonio, 
on 1 )ecemlier 2 1 last for a tour round S<iuth .\mcrica. Several 
mishaps have licen encountered during their progress, and 
now comes news of a very tragic accident resulting in the 
death of two members of the expedition. F'our of tin 
machines had arrived safely at Buenos Aires harbour on 
F'ebniarv 2ti. and after being received by the .Argentine 
authorities, the pilots set out for the I'alomar aerodrome, 
just outside the city. WTien breaking formation to land, 
however. Major Dargue’s machine ' New York " collided 
with the " Detroit,” and Ixith machines fell to the grornid. 
locked together, from altout 1.400 ft. M.ajor Dargue and 
Lieut. Whitehead, of the ” New York.” managed to save 
themselves by their parachutes, but L'apt. Woolsey. pilot 
of the ” Detroit,” who also jumped, was unable to open his 
parachute and was killed. His companion, 1-ieul. Benton, 
was unable to get free of the machine, and was bunied to death 
in the ivreckage. 

The R..\.F. Cairo-Cape Flight 

It is understood that the Middle East R.A.F'. machines 
which are shortly to fly from Cairo to tlie Cape under the 
command of Air-Commodore C. U. Samson, will prolwbly 
meet at Kisumu (Kenya) on Ajiril a number of aeroplanes 
of the Union of South African Air Force which are coming 
from Cape Town. On that dav all the machines will flv to 
Nairobi and carry out manneuvres in connection with the 
King's African Rifles. On April lb the combined squadrons 
will continue to Tabora (Tanganyika Territory), and it is 
expected they will then fly to Cape Town and Durban, where 
the South African machines will tuni back while the Middle 
East machines will return to Cairo. 

“ Hercules ” No. 4 at Cairo 

Thk lourlh D.H. “Hercules” air liner, for the Cairo- 
Karachi air route — which left Croydon for Cairo on F’eb- 
ruary 23, with Capt and Mrs. G. de Flavilland on lioard, 
arrived at Cairo on February 27. \ last-minute passenger 

joined the machine at Croydon, i.e. Lieut. -Comdr. Congreve, 
R.N., who was hurrying to Malta, where his father Gen. Sir 
VV' alter Congreve, A'.C., was lying dangerously ill. The 
Hercules” reached Malta on February 2,S. To-day (Thurs- 
day) King Fuad will christen ” Hercules ” No 1, which will 
be named ‘‘City of Cairo”. 


The ” Moths ” in India 

Mk B S I.ketf. and t aj't I N Stark liav bi-<-ii ijnuig 
several jirominent peojile flights in their " Motlis ” in India, 
and the latter took the first einematograph film from his 
aerojilane ol Neii Delhi. Both pilo^^ flew on F'ebruarv 27 
to Patiala, where the\ were the giie»l' ol the Mahara|ah. 
From Patiala they will proeeetl to Karat hi, anil imle-^ in 
the meanwhile they have sold their " Moth-, " — for which 
they have received several offers they will then set out on 
the return flight to Flngland some time this montli. 

Major de Havillund in Australia 

M.a.iok de Havili-AND. who, as already re]i(iried. was on 
his way to .Australia to build '' Moth- ” there, arrived at Perth 
on F'eliruary 7. where a '' Moth.” whirh he had taken out, 
was erected and tested Then .Major de Htivillaml made ,i 
remarkable imjiromjitu flight of 2.bhtt miles to Melbourne 
setting out oil February 24. and following tlie Trans- 
Crintinental Railwav bv wav ol Kalgoorlie, the Great A’ictoria 
Desert. Port .Augusta, and .Adelaiile. reiu hmg his destination 
on l ebruary 2S. having covered tile distance at an average 
speed of 7(t m.ji.h., desjiite ii headwind blowing all the time. 
For over l.(IIK) miles the route lay over desert (descrilied as a 
perfect aerodrome) and along a dead-straight railwav track 
of 8((b miles, which was onlv inhabited bv maintenance 
staffs. 

Two-seater wanted for Kenya 

A F'i.ighi reader resuliiig in Kenya I olonv is lontein- 
plating the jnirclia.se of a two-jin.ssenger aerojilane for his 
jiersonal use. He jioints out that the machine is reijuired 
to have a fairly quick takc-otl and a reasonably good climb 
to lO.dOU or 15,0(10 ft., as Nairobi is situated some fi.Obb fl 
above sea level and tlie highest jioiiit of the Kenyan Highlands 
is l(»,,siHl ft. .Air currents and bumjis are liable to lie bad 
during tlie hot time of tlie dav. .\ machine is re()iiired wliidi 
will be steady under such conditions, and is to lie as low in 
price as the local geograjiliical and atmosjiheric retjuiremeiif' 
jK-rmit Will aircraft constructors who have tyjies that are 
considered suitable please send along sjtecificntions and 
prices to tlie Editor, who will take great jtleasure in for- 
warding them to our corres|)oiidein ? 

The Air Leajtue of India 

I'oi.LowiNr, upon the interest aroused by Sir Samuel 
Floare's flight to India, and Air Vice-Marshal Sir Seftnn 
Braiicker's recent speech at the Karachi (Cosmojiulitati 
Club, the leading residents of Karachi founded " The Ai 
League of India ” on February 22, with the object of enconi - 
aging public interest in aviation, ojiening of air service 
lietween the chief jiorts and towns in India, jirovision i t 
aerodromes, seaplane stations and seajilane bases, developiri 
of aircraft industry locally w ith Indian cajrital, training India 
jiersonnel in all branches of aeronautics, and finding tl 
funds for these various experiments as well as for rescarcl 
Sir Montague Webb, a leading spirit in the matter, apjieaU i 
for wide public education in aviation. Karachi had certai 
advantages as an air jiort centre and was the first India 
air port equipped for the use of aircraft, but it did not aspii 
to predominance. It was hojied that Calcutta or Bombn 
would become leading centres for the League. 

116 



March 3, 1927 


i 

1 



THE SWISS-AFRICAN FLIGHT 


From Zurich to Cape Town in a Dornier Seaplane 


;V.; n'e briefly aimouncetl last week, the Swiss pilot. Lieut. 
^Vlttelholze^, has concluded his flight from Zurich to Caju- 
T wii in a Dornier seaplane. In the majority of long-distance 
flights — r>f which there have been not a few lately — it has 
generally been the aim to cover the distance in the shortest 
possible time, but it should be noted that in the case of this 
Swiss-African flight time taken was of minor imjiortance, as 
tin- object of the flight was entirely n scientific one. The main 
puriw'se of the journey from Zurich to Cape Town was to 
study, and collect photograpliic (still and moving) records 
of, the geography, geology, and zoology of that part of Central 
.‘Vfrica extending from Kgypt through the r<-gion of the 
Great Lakes. Thus, some time was spent at various points 
.nloiig the route in order to olnain this data. 

The expedition included, therefore, in addition to the jiilot, 
l.ieiit. Mittelholzer, Dr. Arnold Heim, the well-known Swiss 
geologist, and .M. Rene (iouzy, the Swiss geographer and 
journalist. A skilled pilot-mechanic was also one of the 
partj'. .\ftor duly considering the nature and reijuirements 
of the flight, it was decided to employ a seaplane, as most of 
the countrv to be flown over was in many cases entirely 
devoid of suitable spots for landing an aeroplane — inten- 
tionally or otherwise. On the other hand, rivers and lakes or 
the sea were available practically throughout the entire 
route. 

Having decided on the ty|5e of machine, the Dornier 
" .Mercury " seaplane was chosen, as it .seemed to fit in with 
the requirements of the expedition ; it had a roomy cabin 
lor the crew of four, in which they could pass the night in 


ca.se of need, and, at the same time, plenty of space was 
available for the installation of the photographic and other 
equipment — incidentally, a dark-rof>m for developing and 
changing the photograpihic plates and films was provided 
on the machine. I'Tirthermore, the metal construction of 
this machine was considered to be particularly suitable for 
the variable and trying weather conditions encountered 
along this route. The engine htted in this seaM>lai\e was a 
4.S0 h.p. B.M.W. VI. and here again seemed well suited 
for tiic job, as it has a comparatively low petrol consumption 
(1 6 lb. per mile) at a cruising sjieed of 93 m.M>.h., whilst 
it also has a good power reserve, giving a m.iximum of 
WK) h.p. This latter feature came in useful at localities 
where the rarefied air, owing to the high altitude, rendered 
taking ofl more difficult. 

The Doniier " Mercury,” it may be added, is a tractor 
fuselage, high-wing monoplane, with twin floats. -\s pre- 
viously stauil, it is entirely of metal construction (duralumin 
and stecll. The fuselage is .somewhat deep, forming a roomy 
cabin with side windows. 

We give below a brief log of the flight from start to finish ; — 
r)ecember 7, 1926. Zurich — T’i.sa. 

S, ,, Pisa — .Vapies. 

10, ,, Naples — .Athens. 

,. 13, ,, .Athens- .Aboukir. 

17, ,, .Aboukir t'airn. 

,, 27, ,. Cairo Lii.xor. 

23, ,, l.u.xor -Assuan. 

.. 30, ,, .\.s.suan Khartoum. 



.thens 


Lu/or 


Khartoum 


MaiakaU 

Mongalla 


Bufjaba 


Ruwenzori 


Kisumu 


Bukowa 


Iwan: 


Usumbura 


L.Tanganjika\ 

Bismarkburg b 
Lanqenburg A 
L.Nyassa-' 

Ft Johnston 


Beira 


) Jnhambane 

Lorenco Manjuez^ 
\ Durban^ 

EaiFLondorvf 


Capetown 


IE SWISS AFRICAN FLIGHT : Lieut. Mittelholzer (top, left), the Swiss pilot, and the Dornier Mercury ” 
* .tplane (below) on which he has just completed a flight from Zurich to Cape Town, following the route shown on 

the right. 

117 


i 




iSlARCH 3. 1927 


19'27 


iHiniarv 2. 

Kharti >11 m — Malakal . 

,, ■ 3. 

Malakal — Mongalla. 

.. 4. 

Mungalla — Butiaba. 

I. 8. 

Butiaba — Jinja (Lake Victuria). 

Here M. Gouzy 

was taken ill with malarial fever, which. 

together with the 

non-arrival of the petrol .supply, delayed 

the flight until the 

end of the month. 

janiiarv 30 

1 inja — Kisumti . 

J-'ebruary 1 . 

Kisnmu Mwanza. 

n 

Mwanza— Bukuba and rsumbiira. 

if 

Httkoba Bisnnirksbiirg (Lake Tangan- 
yika), 

4. 

Bismarksburg - Langenburg I-'t. Juhn- 
ston. 


From here Lieut. Mittelhoizer and his mechanic (the t\..> 
other ineuibers of the parly haviiij' remained behind i 
Tanganyika to collect further data and continue their jourm v 
later by ordinary methods) proceeded via Rhodesia o, 
Mozambique (Febrnart’ 3), and so alonR the coast to BcKa 
(February t>), Inhambani, and Lonrenco Marquez, (.•n 
February 13 they reached Durban, East London on Februarv 
16, and on February 20. 76 days after it had loft Zurich, tiii 
" Switzerland ” arrived at Cape Town, having covered aboiil 
12.300 miles in a little over 100 hours’ Hying time. 

.Vltliough. on the surface, there was nothing spectacular 
about this flight, it has been, nevertheless, a splendid per 
furmance. and all concerned are to be congratulated. \\ , 
await with interest the results of the scientific side of this 
expedition 


<$><$><$><$> 

“AVIATION IN AUSTRALIA” 


A^ the Institution of Aeronautical Engineers a paper on 
“Aviation in Australia’’ was read by L'light-Lieut. J. 
Reni.son Hell, H..\.A.F.. on February 22. The chairman. 
Maj. F. A. de V. Robertson, M..\., in introducing the lecturer, 
said th.at .Xustraiia was the foremost country in aerial iraii'jiort 
in the world. 

The lecturer said that .Australia was an ideal country for 
flying and that aviation was firmly establislied there. It 
had the advantages of its geographical size, for which only 
the aeroplane was adaptable, and this would grow in use 
out of all proportion to the land transport. .\n important 
factor in its favour was tlie irregular gauge of tlie railways, 
all the six Slates having different gauges and some two or 
three within themselves, which therefore canseil much delav 
in that form of transport over the greater distances. Tlie 


aeroplane would reaj' the benefit of thi.s defect. Thi.s could 
be easilv seen by glancing at the map ol < jueensland, wlu-ri- 
three mam railways ran Ironi tlie coast but were not lonnecied 
at all inland. 

I’rivaip rtviuR rpasrit m .\ii.aralia (hiniu! ihe \v.ir. The ,\ir I'Dro' wii- 
tormeil .a lew mkiiuIis lipfiin- llu' war wlipn a small tlyini; sriioiil was i.>|jrii..i| 
in Vs tuna a> an atlai hnit'|{t lu tin- tnny. 1 li'Vi-Inpiiiriits ni linslilitii-; 

imri'ascil .T tivily, anil in ISI.s a simill unit wms sinit tn \li-siipi)taiiiia at 

thr riM|ni.si i,f thf Indian tiovcrumi'iit. Itv ItllS tin’ .tu.straliaii I'lyini; (iiip, 
hsi .uni* pan of tin- Iiupi-rial I-'orii-, and bv ims tlicrc was a larRi- Hvmr 
SI hool at \ ii'io[ia. foni sipiadioiis in Kiif-land, ihri.-t.- in Fruin'c and oini m 
I'.RvpI. the total pi'rsonnt'l on a--tivr snrvn i- In-iiiy Sn" oiln-nrs aiul 3, non airrnoi, 
in lS-1 thi- lami- into brinK. and i onsistrd of .all ortners am] 

ItiHi ainin-n. , arrvinc out valnablr w-orK for i i\'il aviation by srli-riing 

.iiTiHlroiin-s and r-sialihsliint: tlii- air rontns, in addition to layiny tin- loiimla 
lion of an air ili-lt-in Thi~ aid to Civil IlyiiiR was still inanilami-d. TIh v 
traini-rl i-ivil pilots and rtavi- rofri-sher vourst-s. -An rxpi-riini iital i-stablisli 
iiR-iit was liirmed in Sydney in I9'd4 (or the ilesigii ol am rail to nieei 



AUSTRALIAN AERIAL SERVICES (LARKI.N) : Three snapshots from a correspondent showing some of 'he 
flying-stock of this air transport company, which operates the .\deIaide-Cootamundra, Broken Hlll-Mildura, and 
Melbourne-Hay services, (1) A Sopwlth “Wallaby” (Rolls-Royce “ Eagle VIII ”). (2) A D.H, 50 (Sldde.ey 

“Puma”) on the left and one of the three A.N.E.C. HI (Rolls-Royce) six-seaters. (3) Another view of h® 
A.N.E.C. III. Australian Aerial Services cover some 2,844 miles and carry about 170 passengers per wt k- 

118 


March 3, 1927 




: 


1 


•' .-.al conditions and study of timber, etc. There was a Citizen .A.ir Force 
luparablH to our Auxiliary Air Force in Kn^land, and conducted on similar 
j Civil commenced In IS2«» with Col. Biinsmead as Controller 

th*? Department answerable to the Minister of I^efcnce. They achieved 
is admimstratiuii with a remarkably small staff. There were 11 private 
ViKiromes licensed, and 134 Government aerodromes. The sut^idised 

0 Tvices were let out on contract, the Government providing and maintaining 
'•nf aerodromes, but the firms providing hangars and workshops. Nearly 
Jill sendees were run once weekly in each direction, and a part of the .subsidy 
v deducted when trii>s were not made. Up to 1 00 lbs. of mail were carried 

1 ee, ran the surcharge of 3tf. p<*r half-ounce on letters wa< credited to 
revenue. The civil personnel had to become members of the R.A..\.F. 
Krscrvt*. Contracts lasted for three ycar.<, and the following rompanica wore 
, peraiiiig : \Vt‘stcni Airways, Quotas, ami .Australian Aerial Serx'ices. The 
ni-si was lx*tween Perth ami Derby, a route <»f 1.442 miles; the second, 
( harJcvillc Camoowcal Route, 825 miles; and the third, .Adclaide- 
r-Mitamundra, with a few branches, a route of 1,000 miles. .About sixteen 
pilots all told were employed, the machines were D.H.SO’s and 9’s and Bristol 
Timrers. The subsidy was 3.^. 3</. pernjile fiown. 

There were various aviation activities unsubsidised, such as taxi w’ork, 
photography, as well as six tiriiis that survived on repairs and overhauling. 
Manufacture, however, of original design^, did not exist. De Havillaml 
teaclunes were Udng built under li< enre. Several i-.nglish firtii were pros 
]X'Cting the possibilities of a mamifacturing imiustry, and it would tpiickly 
mature if the Gf)vemmcut were able to place orders to justify capita! 
ex|>cnditure. There were many skilled men, i)\ii no aircraft designers or 
liigine designers in Australia a])art from a few in the Air Force. There was 
no evidence of any lendeiic}* to the future use of metal construction. The 
Warkett Witlgron." the lecturer said, proved the suitabilitv of local limber 
fe>r flying bouth. .All tin* pro|)cllers were prartfcally made of local timbers. 
There w'cre of course <piite a number of machine'i built for light aeroplane 


competitions, and a manufacturing company flourished about 1921. There 
were no foreign aircraft companies in Australi.a, although agents sold 
acccs^rics, ond there were only a few .American and French machines. No 
prohibition against them existed, bin imjmrted aircraft or engines must have 
a British Airworthiness Certiheate. It was feared that foreigners would 
obtain a footing shortly, as they had done with their cars, of which the 
importation was 70 per cent. 'There were light aeroplane clubs in most Stales, 
using “ .Moths,*’ and other types were expected shortly. The Melbourne 
and Sydney clubs each had a membership of 1,000, although not all received 
flying training. .Aeronautics was a branch of the Universities* curriculum, 
and there was a laboratory with a wind tunnel at Melbourne Ihnvcrsity. 
Proposed new' air .services were Mclbourne-Tasmania. (250 miles), Pertb- 
Vdclaide (1,470 miles), and Cloncurry-Nonnaiilou (225 miles). The lir.st 
was a flying-boat service with a capital of £ 100 , 000 , and expe*« i»nl to start 
soon. I'he se<ond w’oiild save a week in communiiatinii bmween places 
east of Adelaide, and Westcni Australia, as well as India and llngland. The 
third w'ould serve an extensive cattle country, ami bring Nonnanton three 
weeks nearer Brisbane. In conclusion, the lecturer said that developmeiils 
of aviation in their countr>' had not been good enough, but they had nothing 
to lx* ashamed of. In the subsequent brief discussion the lecturer said, in 
reply to (piestimis. tliat formalities in civil aviation were similar to those 
here, that bumps were likewise, and that pilots rather proferre<i tandem 
seating to the siiie-liy-side arrangement. .Air-cooled engines were considered 
most suitable for the climate, visibility, of course, was excellent, and the 
linking up of the vast areas of bush rounin,* for bringing sf^jcdy medical aid 
wa.s a prfibable future development. The reason why the seaplane was so 
little used was due to the general unsuitability of the roa.st line, and also 
because all their machines w'erc gifts from the KngUsh Government after the 
war, and included hardly any seaplanes. The Chairman, in passing a vote 
of thanks, said that the value of Flighl-Lieut. Bell’s lecture was in Us 
adherence to facts instead of surmise. 


<S> ❖ ^ <S> 


“THE PUBLIC, AVIATION AND THE PRESS” 


The Royal Aero Club held its monthly house dinner on 
February 23, when Ccjrd TTiomson, the iirst Labour Air 
Minister, was in the chair. Mr. C. G. Colebrook, the Aero- 
nautical Correspondent of The Times, spoke on " The Public, 
,\viation and the Press.” 

In his initial remarks. Mr. Colebrook referred to the view's 
he would express as being personal. He thought there could 
he no great progress in civil aviation without the interest and 
supjx)rt of the public. The public were still regarding flying 
as a novcltj' and were therefore in much need of education 
un the subject. We had not convinced the tax payer of the 
necessity of aerial progress for his owm interests. He was 
not in the least perturbed bi;cause F.ngland had now lost 
the defensive value of its insularity, that its Xavy was no 
longer its impregnable bulwark. We were now linked to all 
Europe by the air, yet the public had no idea (jf the adequacy 
of the Air Force. The business man did not take the air 
seriously ; the man of leisure thought only in terms of cars 
lor his travel. The basic reason for all this public indifference 
was that man was horizontally minded by instinct, by reason 
Ilf his evolution. He had always been used to horizontal 
niovenient, and consefinentlv he became very uncomfortable 
when considering \ertical niovenient. It was still incom- 
prehensible to him. The idea of floating through the air 
without visible means of support . as it were, was rather 
disturbing. It lacked all that obvious security in movement 
that he had ahva\-s been used to. And this attitude was 
quite natural, because he had not an easy chance of gaining 
air experience and tuition. The present-day facilities offered 
no wide scope to liiin as they ought to do. He would not 
change his attitude unless ho was taught different. The 
greatest movement towards achieving this was the develop- 
ment of the flying clubs. They, more than anything else, 
brought the idea of flying nearer home, hut generally, flying 
cost too much. It should be made possible to the man of 
moderate means. M'ithout that personal contact with a\'iation 
the public W'ould never change. 3'owards this end. Mr. 
Culebrook said, he thought the .-Vir Ministrv should play a 
greater part than the\- did, for they were really responsible. 
1 hey were the servant and the leader of public opinion, and 
the public natural!}' looked to them for guidance. They 
■"..iild look on them as the authentic voice, therefore their 


opportunity was waiting them. But they did not take 
advantage of it, they were too retiring, too modest, when 
fill }- should be prominent and assertive. 

Here Mr. Colelirook relapsed into metaphorical speech on 
tb' realms in w-hich Adastral House existed. He said they 
"i. de about one yearly pilgrimage to Hendon, and that was 
ah.irist all of their prominent activities. They had a military 
pt olem to face greater than any in the world, and they were 
si. rt-sighted about tlie public's interest in it. which would 
cn.ite a driving force if this was cultivated. They shunned 
publicity, which was a wrong policy to pursue too far. The 
Puoiic ought to know what was going on. The Air Ministry 
uii.-sed a fine opjKirtunity of showing what could be done by 
°ui .Mr Force when they banned all publicity about the fine 
mglit of nearly 7,000 miles of two Supermarine " South- 
amptons ” last year. Tlie I’ress were allowed to see the finish 


119 


of the flight at Cattewater. but they were rigorously barred 
from discourse with tlie flight leader un the subject of the 
flight. Months later, when the public had long forgotten 
all about it. the Ministrv did issue an account of some sort. 
But there was an experiment, most successfully carried out 
by our Air Force, and from which valuable data could have 
been gleaned, of which the public should have been inlormed. 
That sort of secrecy was an erroneous policy. The publicity 
would have done an enormous amount of good towards 
increasing the public’s interest in aviation. Of course, the 
Minister for Air was doing good with his fine long flights, and 
as a leading public figure the reaction would be all tlie wider. 
But propaganda should be spread and accepted as j>art of the 
natural work of the Ministry. He was casting no reflections 
on the Liaison Officer, Mr. Robertson, of the Ministry. For 
him and his efforts he liad great praise, for within his scope 
his work in the Press section did much towards that official 
publicity that we wanted. 

So much for the public in this discussion. Now, said 
Mr, Colebrook, with regard to the Press and its attitude 
towards aHation. I*'irst, its function was to mirror life as 
it was. subject to certain standards of decencies which variexl 
according to the public catered for. It had done a lot for 
aviation from the earliest days. It had alwa}-s been sympa- 
thetic towards it, but it should be remembered it had its 
limitations. Its object essentiallv was to prov'ide news before 
Hews. The public had to be interested at any cost. Official 
secrecy did not make the task any easier for the Press. It 
was the finest and most effective medium for educating the 
public in aeronautics. Mr. Colebrook said that he had 
certain conclusions and suggestions to make on the subject 
for future debate. The first was a more forward policy on 
the part of the .\ir Ministry for general propaganda. Judi- 
cious publicity should be encouraged for tlie more notable 
Service e.xercises of the _\ear, which should be of a certain 
numl>er yearly and combine training and a .spectacular 
interest for the public. There should be minor displays by 
Service airmen at every Air F'orcc and civil aerodrome in the 
country near a populated centre. The responsibility for 
these should be borne bv the local authorities, who should 
arrange the shows for the Ixjnefit of local charities. The 
equipment of all the e.xistiug flying clubs reaching a certain 
standard of efficiency should be doubled at the State expense 
and further funds allocated for doubling the number of clubs, 
which should be modestly equipped until they had proved 
their efficiency. All restrictions on private flying and private 
aircraft should be abolished upon the lines famihar to us 
all. Retain registration and impose furtlier conditions to 
ensure that all private owners were always insured against 
third party risks. 

Private fl}'ing, the lecturer said, was handicapped by lack 
of landing grounds, and until every town of any size or 
popular resort had them he could see little inducement other 
than mere novelty to attract the man of means to the aero- 
plane instead of the car. The Air Ministry should throw 
open all Government-owned and controlled aerodromes free 
of charge to all private aircraft, and establish storage facilities 
at ordinary car rates. Local authorities and flying clubs 


) 

1 




March 3, 1927 




should be drawn actively into a scheme for making a compre- 
hensive survey of the countrj' with the object of marking out 
emergency landing grounds near populated centres. An 
arable field and a willing owner should be sufficient in most 
cases, and the expense low considering the advertisement 
accruing. It should be distingui.shed by a notice-board as 
a symbol of aiiation activities and have ground indications 
for the use of airmen. 

The Civil Aviation Department might consider a scheme by 
which Gov'emment credit might be used for financial advan- 
tage to private ownership. A bolder policy should be adopted 
towards the Schneider Cup Race. The Air Ministry should 
declare openly Great Britain’s de.sire for the Cup and its 
intention to fight until it achieved it. The Press could do 
their valuable part by arousing public interest. It was time 
the Ministry allocated moderate sums for outstanding per- 
formances in the air either in co-operation with the constructors 
or independently ; or else loan a machine, cover the insurance, 
or offer many other of its facihties. Mr. Colebrook said he 
was aware all tlie.se proposals involv'cd State money, but, 
bearing in mind the national burden, he had considerately 
framed them on modest lines. Only the Schneider Cup 
contest was really expensive, and that must be faced to 
ensure a future revvard ; and the aviation industrv- should 
insist on that fact. 

He Wcinted to ask the industry as represented by the 
S.B.A.C., whether they had not, like the Air Ministrj’, buried 
their talents in the ground instead of taking it in the air. 
Why had they not gathered in conference at regular intervals 
witli the accredited aeronautical correspondents to discuss 
the difficulties and advise and suggest. The Press could 
turn up or not, as they wished. In conclusion, said Mr. 
Colebrook, he had three questions to ask, about w'hich he 
should like to be enlightened. How could the public be 
taught to differentiate between Service and civil air accidents ? 
Could joy-riding be made use of in the education of the 
public ? Could a concerted effort be made before next 
year to make the King’s Cup Race a really national vehicle 
for air propaganda ? He hoped eveiy one would help towards 
making the public realise that living was a normal activity, 
and not the domain of a few daring spirits. 

The Discussion 

The Chairman said that during his scholastic education in Pans there was 
a certain French professor who said that there were two types of speech, one 
that you took notes of and the other you listened to, obtained impressions 
and afterwards sought to enlarge them. He thought that Mr. Colebrook’s 
speech was in the latter categoiy. It was stimulating and provoked thought. 
He then called upon Mr. Handley Page who, be said, was bursting to talk. 

When Mr. Handley Page rose he imme^ately conhrmed this. He said 
that Mr. Colebrook had blamed ever\’body concerned in aviation except the 
Press. He did not know whether the policy of the Press was influenced 
at all by the advertisement revenue, but they not help at all in educating 
the public in aviation. He was sure if he had the opportunity of managing 
various publications he could do better, or show them how* to do it. He said 
that it was not altogether the business of the Air Ministry to enlighten the 

? ublic. They hadn’t time to teach. The Press over-rated its importance, 
t was useless for educating. It did not originate, it did mot create, it merely 
reported the Royal Aero Club’s lectures. The industry itself w'ould have to 

<$> < 5 > 

At St. James’s Palace 

At the Lev6e held by HLs Majesty the King at St. 
James’s Palace on Thursday, February 24, the following 
were amongst those present : — The Secretary of State for 
Air, Marshal of the Royal .Mr Force Sir Hugh Trcnchard, 
Bart., Air Marshal Sir John Salmond (Principal Air Aide- 
de-Camp). Group Capt. P. F. M. Fellowes, Wing-Commander 
Louis Greig. Amongst those presented to H.M. the King 
were : I.ieut.-Commander R. D. Kirkpatrick, U.S.N. (.Assistant 
V.S. Nav'al .Attach^ for Aviation), W'ing-Commander A. ap 
Ellis, C.B.E., FUght-Lieut. P. Barnett, M.C., Sqdn.-Leader 
.A Benge, ITight-Lieut. J. Blackford. Air Commander E. 
Borton, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., A.F.C., Flight-Lieut. O. 
Bryson, M.C., D.F.C., A.M., FUght-Lieut. M. Coote, Air 
Commodore J. Forbes, O.B.E., Wing Commander A. Garrod, 
M.C., D.F.C., Flying Officer G. Holdcroft, Flight-Lieut. A. 
Ledger, M.B.E., Sqdn.-Leader W. Park, M.C., D.F.C., FUght- 
Lieut. W. Richards, .Air Vice-Marshal Sir John Steel, K.B.E., 
C.B., C.M.G., Fhght-Lieut. T. F. W. Thompson, D.F.C., etc. 

'The Oversea* League Luncheon to Sir Samuel Hoare. 

Sir Charles Wakefield presided, on February 25, at 
the Overseas League luncheon given in honour of Sir Samuel 
Hoare and Lady Maud Hoare at the Criterion Restaurant. 
In his welcoming speech to the distinguished guests. Sir 
Charles Wakefield said that the problem of aviation as 
related to the British Empire re.solvcd itself into one of rousing 
public interest. Lady Maud Hoare said she regarded the 


see about propaganda. It was their activities that w’ere doing more for the 
public interest than anyone. The small flying clubs and private flying in 
particular. Every man who flew was a potent!^ apostle of aviation. These 
commercial air lines were mere joy riding mediums for the public. They did 
not fly to Paris except for pleasure, but the man^wbo got into a private aero- 
plane and landed an^here after a long flight was definitely furthering the 
cause of aviation. Flying could be brought home to the man in the street 
if industry made more use of it. If his food w'as brought by air, for instance, 
bis interest would be inevitable. With regard to tbc public's fear of the air 
because of the lack of visible support, that was absurd. They were entirely 
use<l to a lack of visible support in life ever since the war. ' In conclusion 
Mr. Handley Page said that the Club sometimes treated the subject lightly. 
Wc should all help, all do our little bit towards educating the public to fostet 
their interest. There was a real air crisis in aviation. Today we were 
dejwndent on the Air and the Army and Navy were auxiliary to the air 
power. 

In calling upon Captain Barnard, the chairman said that great men were 
known only by their bare names, therefore he asked Barnard to contribute 
to the discussion. Captain Barnard said there were three bodies to consider, 
the ITess, the public and aviation. He advocated telling the public the 
truth about flying. Veil nothing. Tell them everything that happened and 
let them draw their own conclusions on the subject. It was not the future 
of the .Air Force that mattered to them but the future of Civil .Aviation. 
Transport was one of the fundamental necps.sitie$ for civilisation. Where 
there was bad transport there civilisation was at its lowest. Take the desert 
countries as an instance. One drawback to the air lines was that aerodromes 
were out of town. Silence in the Press, hr said, causctl harm. The puhlir 
always suspected the worst. If a machine did not arrive to the scheduled 
time they knew it had crashed when all the time aviation knew that it hadn’t ; 
then why not tell the public so ? Two of our present difficulties were eugiiu’ 
failure and fog. Why not tell the public so rather than let them find this out 
by experience ? There was no margin of safely with tw’o engines, very littU* 
with three. Four engines was the remedy. Then let the public know. Tell 
them facts. Tell them we can fly with a visibility of 5 yards, take ofi with it 
at 5 yards and in some cases land with visibility at 5 yards. It should be 
pointed out that all transport w'as forced to a standstill by fog. He thought 
there should be flying every day in the year. The Press went in for records 
instead of telling the public all these facts about every*day dying. Capt. Bar 
uard, in conclusion, said that he would like to sec iii the daily Press weather 
reports on all the air routes. 

Mr. L. A. Wingfield said he regarded the Press as an enemy. They dis- 
torted the truth either intentionally or unintentionally, with detrimental 
effect on the public. For instance, an airman was not an airman but an 
intrepid airman. Thev gave aviation a lustre which pul it on a pedestal to 
be admired but not to be touched. The indusLr>’ too was at fault. They dkl 
not give the public the assuranc.c that they might <lo. They always pul 
the pilot right on the very top of the machine in the most secure position 
possible, whereas if they put him, say, on the undercarriage, the passengers 
would feel safer w'hen they thought of him. He Hid not think the public 
wanted comfort. They never did. They w'cre not used to it. Let them 
make strap*hanging in aeroplanes compulsory. Mx. Wingfield said be hoped 
he had given a very interesiiDg and instructive contribution to the discussion 
as the chairman desired. 

Major Stewart defended the Press. He said they must first of all provide 
news, and it must be interesting. If secrecy in aeronautical matters wa.'; 
observed the l^ss must not be blamed for distorting the few gleams of 
information given them. They must make a story. They would certainly 
tell all the facts if these were not withheld. 

Mr. W. L. Hope said the Press were considerably helping the industry, 
perhaps more than any other commercial business. He quoted a two years’ 
contract be had received from them as an instance. 

In his replies to the discussion, Mr. Colebrook said that he agreed the 
Press was the most effective and powerful medium for moulding public 
opinion. Its duty was to express realism first before venturing with il^ 
\iew'S. Silence w*ould distort the public mimi. There should be a wi«!»’ 
expression of air news, but of an educative and interesting nature. Sp>ecii 
records conveyed nothing to them except to magnify the rcmarkability of 
flying, which was totally opposite to what w*as desired. 

Major Hemming rose and proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman 
whom he eulogised, and remarked that if Lord Thomson was a reflection of lli»* 
general ability and efficiency of his party he, for one, would welcome the return 
of the Labour Party into power. 

The Chairman then proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Colebrook. 

❖ <$> 

honour of D.B.E. conferred on her by the King as not personal 
to herself, but as a symbol to those who had been working 
in the interests of aviation through its different phases. She 
then referred to the courtesy met with on the recent fiighl to 
India and of the help that was always forthcoming. Sir 
Samuel Hoare said that thanks were due to successful eflorD 
of others for the achievement of the flight to India. He was 
convinced that it was impi>ssible to administer a great 
department without going to sec those on the spot. The 
future of civil aviation was one in which each jiart of the 
Empire had to take its share. He was convinced that the 
easier it was made for Ministers to meet without loss of time 
it would be found that the problems that looked insoluble 
on paper would be easily settled by word of mouth. 

A Second Son for Sir Alan Cobham 

On March 18 Lady Cobham gave birth to a son at her 
Hampstead home. Both arc doing well. Sir Alan Cobh m 
is still in New York, and is expected back in London 'H 
March 18. The heartiest of congratulations ! 

No French Entries for Schneider Cup ? 

France will not take part, apparently, in the Schnei 'cr 
Cup Race this year, for no entries were received from "cr 
by the Aero Clnb de France up to February 25, which was 
the last day for receiving them. The only entries for 
race on September 25 are from Great Britain, Italy and I 



March 3, 1927 



THE ROYAL 



AIK FORCE 



t omion GazcUi, Februan' 25, 1927. 

General Duties lUanvh 

Cirnup Capt. IL I‘. Koss, D.S.U., A.F.C., is appointed Air Aide de Camp to 

IIS Majesty th«- King. Frbni.iry 1. 

The following Pilot Cdticers are proniot<*<I t<i rank of I'lying Oftirer, jamiary 
;i»;- H. H. V. Tristeiii. A. 1>. (iillmore, J. R. Jones, F. M. \'. May, (i. H. (i. 
l.ywood. Flight Lieut. F. L. Luxmoore, 13.F.C., remains on half-pav scale 11, 
l ebruary 2M. The following are transferred to Reserve, Class .A, TVbniary 2J1 : 

Flight Lieut. A. (». Taylor, A.F.C., Flying OHirer W’. F. Hamilton. Flying 
(hlirer G. Wilson is placed on retired list at his own request ; February 2'1. 

Meduat Uramh 

The short scr\'ire ('oimnission of I'lying (dlnvr <i. II. Church, M.Il.. is 
.uitedatcd to I'ebniarv 1, 192t>, and he ceases to he seconded to the Rnval 
Infirmary, Wigan ; February I. The following Flying Ofiicers an* promoted 
to rank of T'ligiu Lieut., IVhruary 18; — Lieut. C. Palmer Jones, M.U., 
T. \\ . Wilson. Flying officer H. C. Patterson relimiuishes hi> short service 
commission on account of ill-heallh ; January 14. Flight Lieut, (hon. 
Sqdn. Lc;uler) F. K. Humphrey's relinquishes his temp, coiiinm. on completion 
if service; luuuarv 31 ; Tempv. Lieut. \\'. 1). (iuvler (tieneral List. .Army 
Dental Surge<m), Is gratitetl a temp, conimn. as a Flying (itficcr on attachment 
to K..V F. ; Febniary 5. He will continue to receive emoluments from 


Army sotirces ; Flight Lieut. N. H. Medhurst (Capt., .Army Dental Corps) 
xrlinquishes his temp, column, on return to Army duty ; Febniary 5. 

Chaplains llraneh 

The Rev. (i. H. Tiercy, M.A., is granted a shorl-scrvicc commn. as u Chap- 
lain, with the relative rank of Sqdn. Lea<ler : February 18. 

RESERVE OK .AIR FORCE OFFICERS 
Gentrnl Dulies liraiich 

The following Flying OtVicers arc promoml to rank of Flight Lieut.. F’cb- 
ruary 22; — C. T. Holmes, N. H. \\«Kxlhead, D.S.C. The frOImving Flying 
Officers ar4‘ proniote<l to lioiiorary r.ank <d IJight Lieut.. February 22 ; C. F. 
I'wiiK. A. S. Whitf, A.F.t . The fnllowing I’ilot Ortuers are prorinUcd to rank 
f)f Flying Oftn-er*. — K. 1>. Hambr<M»k ; Nov4‘mbcr 24. 1928. M. K. «le L. 
Hayes; l)eccinlH*r 7, 1928. 1.. F. St. Harljc ; Jaimarv 17. LI. O. 

Moss, .M.M. : Janiiarv 21. H. lulloch ; January 2 K. Pilot tifficer on 

probation 1.. U. Meads is roiihmied in rank ; February 8. Flying Othcer 
!.. Marler is traiisfemMl fnun Class A l*» Class C : F«*bruar\’ 15. The following 
Flying Olficers relinquish their ciimmissions on comploiion of service: — 
C. H. M Dalr; Dcrcinbcr .S, 1928. A. W. Sauiulrrs, D.F.C. ; February 5, 
r.. Mar-'den ; IVbrnary 18. (i. J . L. H. Dorman; February 19. Flying 

tlllicer J. C. Croft resign-^ his onmniKsInii ; l•'♦•lMua^y 22. 


ROYAL AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE 


Appointments. The following appointments in the Royal .Air F<irce ara 
notified •— 

General Hulifs liraneh 

M ins Commander K. G. D. Small, to R..A.F. rxbridgr, fi»r .Arlmim's- 

trative duties, 14.2.27. 

Stjuadron Leaders: C. G. Tucker, to No. 5 Flving Training Sch.. Scaland, 

7.2.27. C. J. Mackay. M.C.. D.F.C. , to No. 218 Sqdn., Egypt; 4.2.27. 
1. K. Summers, .M.C., and K. R. NN'hiUhouse, t»> N’o. 78 Sqdn., Iraq ; IS. 1.27. 

F. K. Alford, M.C., to Iraq. : 1.2.27. 

I'tighf I.ieuts. : li. J. W. Bradv, D.S.M., to No. 21 Group, H.Q.. West 
Drayton ; 9.2.27. G. V. Howard, D.F.C., t<* R..A.F. Station, W»>rthy Down ; 

15.2.27. A. W. FTanklyri, M.C., to No. 1 Flying Training SchL, Netheravon ; 

N.2.27. C. T. .Anderson, D.F.C., to No. 18 Sqdn.. Old Sarum ; 21.2.27. 
jl. K. D. Rolxrtson, .A.F.C., to No. 84 Sqdn.. Iraq. ; 24.1.27. K. F. Ward, to 
No. 4 Flying Training SchL, Egypt ; 4.2.27. 1. S. Harrison. t<» Nu. 8 .Armoun-d 

( ar Coy., Iraq; 31.1.27. M. Moore, O.TLF.,, to H.Q., Air I>efniice of Gn at 
Lritain, Uxbridge ; 22.2.27. 

Flving Officers: G. H. Staiiiforth, to Central I'lying Scbl., Wittering; 
:i.3.27. H. E. Rcw. to No. 4 S<idn., Farnborough ; 18.2.27. C. Walter, to 
No 24 Sqdn., Northolt ; 21.2.27. J. R. Brown, .A.F'.C., to No. 8 Sqdn.. Iraq ; 

4.2.27. R. H. S. Spaight, to No. 8 Sqdn.. Iraq ; 24.1.27. J. V. Kelly, ti» No. 47 
Sqdn., Egypt; 28.1.27. G. N. P. Stringer, to No. 8 Sqdn., Iraq ; 27.1.27. 
F. E. North, J. F. Davies and G. M. L. Shaw*. U> No. 78 Sqdn., Iraq : IS. 1.27, 
k. F. CaS4 y, D. F.C., to No. 39 S(|dn., Spiltlegate, 4.3.27. 11. XV. Duley, .M.M., 
to No. 99 Sqdn., Bircham New'ton, 28.2.27. J. .A. C. Florence, to Schl. «if 
Army Co-operation, Old Sarum; 4.3.27. K. C. Baker, to No. 32 Sqdn.. 
Keidcy ; 2.3.27. 

Pilfll Officers : F. D. Biggs, to No. ,S8 Sqdn.. Worthy Down, on apixjintnienl 
lr» a Knnanent Commn. from Cadet CoHegc ; 15.2.27. R. Brown, to No. 41 
Sqdn.. Northolt, on apptuntment to a Permanent Commn. from Cadet College ; 

15.2.27. T. M. Abraham, to R..A.F. Depot. Uxbridge, 16.2.27. W. C. McNeil, 
J. Constablo-Robcrts and E. F'. Wain, to R..A.F. Base, CaUhot ; 21.2.27. 


J. W. Duggan to N**. inn Stpln., Spilllegafi ; 21.2.27. 1. J. Fiti h and R. J. 

l>*gg, to No. 4 Sqdn., S. Farnborough ; 21.3.27. L. t . Ft»reman, J. H. Harris 
ami H. P. Hudson, to No. 207 Sqdn., Fastchun.h; 21.2.27. .A. Leslie, ii» 
No. 18 Sqdn., Old Sarum ; 21. .3.27. X. McLi od and X. C. Pleasano*, to N»j. I 
S<filn., S. Farnijorougli : 21.2.27. K. R. Nash to K..A.F. Ba<* , ( alshot ; 
l..‘L27. R. G. Pace and X. C. Riiss-RoU-rts, tt» No. 32 Sqdn., Keiilev ; 21.2.27. 

G. H. Shaw, to No. ,58 Sqdn., Biggin Hill ; 21.3.27. M. .A. Smyth and L. R. 

.Strikes, to No. 58 Sqdn., Biggin Hill; 21.2.27. Ci. .A. V'. Tvson. to Ni». 2.5 
Sqdn., Hawkinge ; 21.2.27. H. W. Pearson- Roger?^, in 4 I'lying Training 
SchL. Egvpt ; 18.2.27. .A. W. B. to R.A.F. Training Base, Lem liar- ; 

17.2.27. 

Stores Hranch 

Flight Lieni. : XV. Suth«Tand, M.P>.IL, to Station H.Q.. K' lilcy ; 28.2.27. 
Flying Officer R. XV. Stewart to Air Mmisirv, DLroolorate ot Li)uipmeiit ; 
27.L27. 

Medical Franck 

IFing Commanders : A. V'. J. Richardson, O.R.K., M.B., D.!*.H., bi H.y., 
India, f<ir duty as Principal .Med. Officer ; in.2.27. A. E. Panter, 11. .A., to 
.Air .Ministry, Directorate of Med. Services, for Medical Staff duties ; in.2.27. 

H. B. Portc«ms, M.R., to Basrah Combined Hr»spital. Iraq; 18.2.27. 

Flight Lieuts. : (Hon. Sqdn. Ldr.) J. Valerie. O.B.E., to Insjn ctor of 
Recruiting ; 1.3.27. F. XV. G. Smith, M.R.. B. A., to No. 58 Sqdn., Biggin H ill; 

15.3.27, .A. Harvey, .M.B., to No. 14 Sqdn., Palestine : 25.1.27. 

Flvin" Offeers : E. J. M«.>ckli*r, .M.B., to No. 5 Sqdn,, India; 7.1.27. 
M. J. Marreii, M.B., to R.A.F. IVpot, Uxbridge ; 22.2.27. R. J. I. Bell, to 
R.A.F. Station, Upavon ; 22.2.27. T. XV. Wilson to R.A.F. British H*«spiia!, 
Iraq ; 28.1.27. F. B. C. L. B. Crawford, M.B., to H.O., Iraq; 25.1.27. 
P. D. Barling, M.B.. to Aden Flight : 9.2.27. 

Chaplain'' s Franch 

Revd. G .H. Picrcy, M.A., to R.A.F. Station, Du.xford, on a]>pi»inlmeiit to 
a short Service Commn., 18.2.27. 


^ ^ <S> 

IN PARLIAMENT 


Air Route to India. 

Sir Harry Brittain on February 21, asked the Secretary ot Slate for 
.Air whether he can make auy statement as to when the regular air route to 
India will <jpcn for genera! traffic ? 

Sir Samuel Hoarc : The first of the through flights from Cairo lo Karachi 
IS scheduled for April 6 next. 

Sir H. Brittain : May 1 ask what iiumlier of planes it is exported to put 
•'ll this service ; and, at the same time, may I venture i<i l ongratulatc my 
right hon. friend on having so successfully “ blazed the trail " ? 

Sir S. Hoarc : I am much obliged to my hon. friend for his congratulations. 
I can assure him that they are not due to myself so much as to the pilots and 
navigators who took me so safely. In answ'er to his supplemeiitar>’ question, 
the machines will be of the same type as that on which 1 made my recent 
flight to India. 

Licut. •Commander Kenworthy : When does the right hon. gentleman 

propose to link up the European Air Service with this route from Cairo to India ? 

Sir S, Hoare : I am most anxious to see the section between Europe and 
the East fully completed. 1 cannot say w'heu wc shall be able to do it, but 
wc are cuiistantly considering the question. I regard it a.s most important 
that we should make that section as soon as possible. 

Sir F. Wise : Can mv right hon. friend sav what the cost <d the flight has 
bf'eii ? ' 

Sir S. Hoarc : No, sir, I could not say off-hand ; but I can assure my hon. 
Iriend that it will not amount lo any considerable sum, and he will be surprised 
M the smallness of the figure. 

5ir F. Hall : And cheap at the price ! 

C*vH Air Transport MUeafle 

Captain Garro- Jones asked the mileage flown in 1921, 1923, 1925 ami 
P2b by the civil aircraft of Great Rritaiu, Germany, France and Russia. 
*■ qiectively. 

iiir S. Hoare : Comparable official figures are only available for civil air tran?- 

.’1^. and uot for civil aircraft hired for joy-riding, photography, etr. 

* he civil air transport mileage was as foUow's ; 

^ 1921. 1923. 

Britain . . 225,089 943,000 

rmany .. _ 1,028,000 446,000 

• .. .. 1,471.000 2,117,000 


1925. 

862,(Mfi» 

3.075,008 

2,948,000 


1928. 
794,088 
3.816,888 
Not yet 
available. 


ru figures are available for Russia. 

int reduction in the mileage figures for British commercial aircraft in 
‘ist two years is due to the adoption by His Majesty’s Governmenl of 
obey of siilisidisiiig on the basis of ** borse-jx)wer mileage" with the 
.... ,1 encouraging the eraploymeut of more highly-powenH.1 machims 
^nabling British air traasport to develop towanls a self siipi>orling 
J.'* " "Jnns, though the actual mileage flown is smaller, there ha< lK*t*n 
.rhed increase in the natseoger and ton milfi'igc, thO lucrcuse in the l«.»riiKT 
' -10 (>cr cent. 


Royal .\ir Force. Aeroplanes and .Seaplanes 

LiECT.-CoMM.VNnEM lii’KSFV :iikod the uiiihIkt of .irropl.m*’^ .m.I 
ot ail types ordered liv the (.nvcnimeut to \>v eoiistnieled iii (ire.il Hrit.ilii 
between November 1, IHI”, .lud November I, JS)lh, for ii.se with the lirilish 
and allied forces ? 

Sir S. Hoare : The answer is acropl.ines and I. ha" se.i]il.ines. 

Contracts 

Lffii-i.-CoMM\snER Hukvev asked the total value of all eoiitr.icls .irraiiced 
for in respect of aeroplanes, seaplanes, and their parts and aeeessories witli 
private firms or Governineiit Constructional 1 fcpartuiculs in (..rvat llritaiii 
between November I. iai7. and November I. 19IH, 

Sir S. Hoare : The answer is approximately 1 1 5ii,iiiM),iinii. 

Army and Air Force and Postal Rates 

Capt. Brass, nn February 22. a,sked the Pnstmaster Gencral whether 
he is aware of the distinction drawn by his Uepartmciil between uieiiibers 
of His .Majesty's N.ivv servinc in foreitni waters (for example, in the IVr»iai: 
Gulf) and metnbers of His Majesty's .^rniy ami .-\ir Force on foreign service 
(for example, in Iraqi whereby the former can receive letters at IJrf. fur 
the first ounce and Id. thereafter, while letters addressed lo the latter are 
charged at the ordinary civil rate of 2lrf. for the first oimee and lid. 
thereafter; and whether he ran see his way to arrange for iiieiiibers ol 
His Majesty's .\rmv and .-Air Force on foreign serviee to be treateif in tlie 
same wav as members of His M.ijesty s N.avy */ 

Sir W.'MitchclI Thomsoii : I regret that 1 am not in a position to adoiil 
the suggestion. Letters addressed to the Army and .Air l-'orce in Iraq are 
delivered through the civil Post Oflice, and are then-lore siibjert to the 
same rates and conditions as civil correspondence. The Iraq administration 
has not adopted Imperial postage rates, and the foreign rate therefore 
applies. Letters for His .Majesty's ships abroad are. under a special 
arrangement embodied In the Inleniatioiial Couveuliuii of the Postal I'nion, 
conveyed in direct bags for ttie v.irious ships, w'hieh undertake the duty 
of delivery, and the Imperial rate can thus be applied to them wherever 
the ships may be stationed. 

Capt. Brass : Would the Postmaster-General inform the publie of this 
distinction, because a number of letters addressed to othcers and men in 
the .Air Force at Iraq have had lo pay a great deal of extra iMistage ' 

Sir W. .Mitchell-Thomsoii : .AH the relevant information is set out in a 
special section of the " Postal Guide." 1 should add, iierlnqis, in order 
to make it clear that troops in auy part of the Lmiiire other than Iraq get 
the benefit of the imperial rate, 

R.A.F. .Applicants and Disability 

Mr. Horf. IfiiUSiiA asked bow iiiaiiy applicants were areepted in the 
year ISrdF for 1Iis M.aji-sly's .Air Force; and fiow many were rejerted on 
account of some, physical or iiieilieal disability ? 

Sir S. Hoarc : The answer to the first part of the ijiiestioii is 379 men 
and I,o.S7 boys ; to the second, 2S8 men and 234 boys. 



March 3, 1927 



R.A.F. Casualties 

Cot. Day, on February 23, asked the Secretary’ of State for Air the number 
of Air Force personnel killed and injured in dying accidents since January 1 
last to the last convenient date, together with the figures for the corresponding 
period of last year ? 

Sir Philip Sassoon : The casualties to Royal Air Force personnel during 
the period January I to February 20, 1927, were eight killed and M injured, 
further, one naval officcr and one naval rating were killed during this period. 
The figures for the correspouding period of 1926 were five killed and iSinjured. 
I should add that four ot the death'* in 1927 were the res\iU of a single accident. 
Airships' Gas Containers 

Cart. Gakko-Jonks asked whelher the gas containers for the two new 
airslii{)s will be made in Fngiand instead of t»cnnany ; and what is the cost, 
ii any, of cancelling the German order V 

Sir P. Sassoon : The gas containers of Mie Government airship R.IUI 
are being made at the Royal Airship tVorks, ^.^rdington. Those for the 
K.lOO arc l>eing made in Gcnnany, as stated on February 17, and 1 have 
no information in regard to the ci>st which would be involved to the .Airship 
Guarantee Co., Ltd., if they cancelled the order. 

R.A.F, Contracts 

Lieut. -Cmuk. Bi^rney, on February 24, asked the total value of all 
contracts arranged for in respect of aerojilaiies, seaplanes, and their parl> 
and accessories with private firms or (iovcrnincnt constnutional Orparl- 
menis in Great Briiain between November 1, 1^25. and November I, 1926 V 

Sir S. Hiiare : The .iusu'er l< approximately £4,40U,OOU. 

Accidents 

Maj. Gi.vn asked what is the total number of fatal accidents in the 
Air Force during the 12 months previous to January 31 last, indicating 
those that took place to machines attached to the Navy and to those which 
were of an experimental type ; and what is the total loss in value of ihe 
wrecked machines ? 

Sir S. Hoare : As regards the first part of the question, there w'ere .S8 fatal 
accidents in the Royal Air Fofee during the period stated ; eight of these 
affected machines belonging to Fleet .Air Arm flights and two affected experi- 
mental types of machmes. As n'cards the last pari, the undepreciated 
value 01 the machines involved in these accidents was £'135,001) ; the value 
of the parts salved cannot be estimated without undue lal>our. 

Civil Pilots* Licences 

.Mr. I*. Harvt-y asked wlnU is the prrsciil lota! number of civil ariators 
holding pilots' rcrlificaics ; and can any sle{>s l»e taken by the Govomnicui 
to increase this reserve force t 

Sir S. Hoare : The anssver to the first part of the question is 233, this 
nmnbcr being exclusive of serving Royal .Air Force officers, 63 in number, 
who hold civil pilots* licences. As regards the seconil part, I w'ould refer 
to the replies which I gave on November 15 and 24 last. 

British'German Air Traffic (Ai^reement) 

Lieut. -Cmdr. Kekwoktuy asked the Secretary of State tor .Air whether 
the new British-Cierman air Traffic Agreement fias been signed ; and, if 
so, whether it will be laid iK'fore Parliament ? 

Sir S. lloarr : Tlir agreemenl has n<»l yet lireii signed : the draft of it 
has been referred to the German authorities and is at present under con- 
sideration by them. 

R.A.F. Pilots 

Lii:rT.-CoMi»R. Burn'ev, on February 2.5. a^keil the numl>er of pilots 
trained bv the .Air Miulstry between November 1, 1925, and November 1 , 
1926? 

Sir S. Hoare : 410 pilots qualified during the period stated. 



Flight " Photograph 

Services’ Rugby Tournament — R.A.F. v. Navy: H.R.H. 
Prince George shakes hands with the players 


Royal Aeronautical Society General Meeting 

Thk attention of all members of the Society is particu- 
larly called to the Annual General Meeting, which will lx; 
held in the libran- at 7, Albemarle Street, at 5 p.m. on 
.March 29 next. A number of rule.s will come up for revision, 
and the council will put forward proposed terms for amalga- 
mation with the Institution of .Aeronautical fingineers. 
The.se terms are set forth fully in the Journal for March. 

Institution of .Aeronautical Engineers 

We wish to remind our readers that the Institution of 
Aeronautical Engineers House Dinner will 1m* held to-morrow 
(I'riday) at the Engineers’ Club at 7.811 p.m. Col. .Moore- 
ih-abazon will preside and Capt. F. T. Courtney will, it is 
hoped, open a discussion on " Acrrmaiitical Engineering ’’ 
with special reference to the .\utogiro. 

The Royal .\ir Force Memorial Fund 

The usual meeting of the Grants Sub Committe<' of the 
Fund was held at Iddcslcigh House, on February 2-f. J.ieut.- 
Cominander H. E. Perrin was in the chair, ami the other 
nieml)er.s of the ('ommittee pre.sent were : Mr. W. S. F'iekl, 
Sqnadron-I.eadcr Douglas Iron. C.H.E. The Committee 
considered in all 21 cases, and made grants t(.i the amount of 
£'27.t 17s. The next meeting was fixed for March 10, at 
2.30 p.m. 

Royal .\ir Force Club, General Meeting 

The .Annual General .Meeting of the Royal .Air Force 
Club will take place, at ,S i).ni., on Wednesday, .March 9. 

Bournemouth Easter Races 

.Aik races will take place at Ensbiiry Park Race-course, 
Bournemouth, on Goipcl I'riday, Saturday, and isaster 
-Monday. Tlie prizes will amount to_^400, and full particulars 
will be issued shortly. 

m W. W. 

PUBLIC.\TIONS RECEIVED 
Report No. 237. Tests on Thirteen \avv Tvpe Model 
Propellers. By W. F. Durand. No. 240. Xomenclature 
for .Aeronautics. U.S. National .Advisory Committee for 
Aeronautics, Washington, D.C., U.S. .A. 

Twelfth Annual Report of the National Advisory Connnittcc 
for Aeronautics. 192(r .Administrative Report without 
Technical Reports. U.S. National Advisory Committee for 
.Aeronautics, Washington, D.C., U.S. .A, 

% % % % 

AERONAUTICAL PATENT SPECIFICATIONS 

{.■4hltrevialii»n : Cyl. I'yliutk'r ; i.c.>" internal romlnistioii : in. niHim. 
Tlie iiiiinlirrs in Iiraeiicn. are those umJrT wliiih the SI>el'ill^aliHn^ will 
Im' grimed and ahridued, eti .) 

.APPLIED FOR IN 1925 

fiMishol .March 3, 1927 

19. ,5.59 Si-KHHv (ivmiaioi'ii Co. .-\uiomatie steering-gear. ( 2 S 5 ,o 4 n,) 

27.219 V\ . H. ll.\KLi.\c. .-tircraft. (243.993.1 

27.284. .\. (i. VOS Bm MiiALLK. I'lyiiig-niachines. (295,272.) 

31,805, K. ,1, 1. MniNi..ec. Hying machine. (244.78H.) 

APPLIED FOR IN 192h 

I'tihlishcJ .March 3. 1927 

7.973. biL.Mi .ss SeiirrKrnTwrRM to .Me.iin lor .ini lioiiog aii»lii|>- 
(2,5h,924.) 

APPLIED FOR IN 1927 

I'UhhrhM MarthH. 1927 

HWi Sei win i.vuobeoi'L CO, and J.. brnrinv, jun. .Autoinatn -In ting 
aptiaratu--. for dirigible craft. (265,529.) 


FLIGHT, 

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